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Image of a portrait of Portrait of Madame de Pompadour by Francois Boucher, in an elaborate gold frame.

How to Read a Painting

This course takes you on a  journey through some of the most iconic paintings in history. Learn how to analyse a painting’s composition, understand symbolism and read the techniques artists use to convey messages. Whether you're an art enthusiast or a newcomer, this online art history course will enhance your appreciation and understanding of visual art, drawing on examples from the V&A's outstanding collection.

From the moment you enrol on a V&A on-demand course, you get 12 months' access to every stunning video lecture to rewatch as often as you like, plus additional learning materials, yours to keep.
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  • Kathy McLauchlan

  • 9 video lectures

  • 1 hour 53 minutes

This course covers:

  • How composition and colour lead the eye and reveal a story
  • Changing views of ideal beauty, illustrated by the female nude
  • The role of sketches and working outdoors in landscape painting
  • How artists convey space and movement, placing the viewer in the scene
  • Should artworks be a subjective or objective depiction?
  • Can portraits act as propaganda?
  • Does how a painting is hung affect how we engage with it?
  • How art materials can influence its value and the artist’s career 
  • What paintings of the macabre tell us about historic tastes, and our own
Image of a painting of a group of people relaxing in a Moroccan interior
Your tutor

Kathy McLauchlan

Dr Kathy McLauchlan is an art historian specialising in French painting and the academic tradition. She completed an MA in 19th century painting and a PhD on the work of art students at the French Academy in Rome at the Courtauld Institute, University of London. Kathy has worked the Open University, Birkbeck College, NADFAS and Morley College.
I love that fact that the lectures are linked with insightful tours of the antiquities held in the V&A, making a real connection to the programme and lectures pertaining to the relevant times.
A V&A Academy learner

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